1964 Porsche 901 Coupe

A half-century ago a lawsuit compelled Porsche to rename its new grand touring car '911' when French manufacturer Peugeot claimed that in France its cars had the exclusive right to designations formed by three numbers with a zero in the middle. Instead of selling their new model with a different name in France, Porsche changed the name from 901 to '911' and a legend was born.

This car is the 24th 901 Porsche built, the earliest known 901/911 race car and the first 901/911 imported into Sweden. It retains its original 2 liter flat-6 'boxer' engine and 'Type 901' 5-speed manual transmission.

The car raced extensively in Europe from the time it was new until the late 1970s and is still competitive today in blue riband vintage and historic events winning its class in the 2012 Classic Le Mans.

Porsche introduced the 901 prototype in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though it would take approximately a full year before Porsche was ready to enter production of the new model at Zuffenhausen. The production version of the 901 was shown at the Paris Auto Salon in October 1964, and it was here that Peugeot took objection to the car's name, asserting its ownership of the naming rights of vehicles identified by three digits with a zero in the middle. Porsche had begun producing the 901 from September 14 to November 16 of 1964, with 82 examples receiving the 901 designation before the name was officially changed to the now 911 designation.

This particular Porsche 901 is one of the earliest surviving examples, with a production date of October 6, 1964, making it the 25th example and the second one built on that day.

This Porsche 901 left the factory wearing a Signal Red exterior over black leatherette with pepita inserts and fitted with an optional Blaupunkt Stuttgart-type radio, speaker, and antenna. The car was invoiced and delivered to its first owner on November 23rd, entering the care of the Swedish Porsche distributor AB Scania-Vabis of Södertalje, Sweden.

It is believed that this Porsche 901 may have been used as a dealer demonstrator. By September 1965, it had accumulated 22,864 kilometers. The car was sold on October 12, 1965, to Stockholm dealership group Kaiser Bil AB/Kaiser Car Stockholm. A motorsport enthusiast, the new owner soon took the 901 to the track.

Bo Strandell, also of Sweden, acquired the Porsche in 1967 and would continue to race the car. In 1967, it crashed while racing with damage to the front nose, which was then replaced with a 1965 911 front clip. Bo raced the car throughout Sweden and later the UK until the late 1970s when it was then acquired by Josh Sadler. Also a motorsport enthusiast, the new owner would continue to expand upon its racing resume, including an accident at Snetterton in 1984. Following the crash, the car was put into storage for the next fifteen years.

A U.K. resident name Adam Richardson acquired the Porsche in 1999 who sent the car to Porsche specialist Bruce Cooper of Sportwagen in Essex for a restoration. A donor chassis was sourced and refitted, although the original chassis stampings were retained. The bodywork was replaced with panels from another car.

Upon competition, this Porsche became the first 901/911 to be accepted to the Goodwood Revival. Richardson applied for and received a FIA Historic Technical Passport from the Motor Sports Association (MSA) of the United Kingdom in 2007.

Along with its competition outtings at Goodwood, this Porsche also competed at the Classic Le Mans race on two occasions, achieving a class victory in 2012. In 2013 the original engine was rebuilt by Buckinghamshire, UK based specialist Neil Bainbridge. Dyno testing revealed a peak output of 170.6hp at 7,100rpm and 141.5 lb-ft of torque at 5,700rpm.

The car entered new ownership in 2018 and was shown at that year's Rennsport Reunion VI in Laguna Seca. It was chosen by Porsche to win the prestigious Eifel Trophy. More recently, it was shown at the 2020 Amelia Island Concours.

This Porsche is the 7th oldest 901/911 in existence.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2024